


the ashes of tomorrow

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Crush at First Sight, Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Thievery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 00:03:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21261821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Felix is a mercenary, payment first and no refunds. However, when a strange young man offers him the promise of a quick gain, he gets a little more than he bargained for. Feelings included.





	the ashes of tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this for my birthday as a present from me to me two days ago and i can finally post it ! thank you to my friend owain for the beta-reading and feedback <3.  
i dont have much to say other than this is extremely self indulgent, gay, and i wanted felix to fall for ashe really quick. whoops!  
i have a twitter its on my profile also leave me a comment or 2 maybe :P  
buh bye

The gold coin shimmered in his hand, a little too pretty to be true. He turned it on all sides, bit into it, smacked it against other coins to see what sounds it makes, anything that would tell him that this thing was fake. To his confused satisfaction it was real, though the person paying for his services looked nothing like someone who’d walk around with this kind of wealth in their pocket.

A simple, albeit odd job. His client, a silver haired youth whose hair desperately tried to stay in place as if it was about to spring into a mess at any second, kept looking around them and then at Felix every few blinks. Usually Felix thought himself good at understanding expressions, but this one had him puzzled. Anxious eyes yet a warm smile to pair. The body language of a headless chicken, ready to run away at any second. The steadiest hands Felix had ever seen.

“Come, let us leave.” He said, not entirely sure what they were still hanging around the inn for. He always went there searching for jobs, though things had been rough lately. Many of the establishment’s patrons sometimes confused him for a common ruffian and not the honest mercenary he was. Maybe Felix’s scowl didn’t help.

Not like it mattered much. He didn’t want to fall into the comfort of constant coin, as much as his stomach disagreed certain seasons, and he was relatively good at managing his money. Better than others. He pocketed the coin with a satisfied hum and turned to face the client, frown back on his face like some sort of trademark of his business persona. 

“It’s too early.” He said with a shake of his head. “Night time is better for this kind of thing, and the sun will set within the hour.”

“Listen, pal—”

“Ashe.”

“ _ Ashe _ . You’ve paid me good, but not enough to make me waste my time. The building is abandoned, an hour makes no difference.”

It had to make a difference for Ashe, because to Felix’s bewilderment he produced another golden coin and shoved it into the mercenary’s hand under the table, his gaze still anxious but determined to sway Felix to listen. There was something about him, a certain underlying authority under all the softness of his features and smile, and it briefly crossed Felix’s mind that he might’ve just met someone more stubborn than him.

He doesn’t bother checking the second coin and sighs. “Okay. Fine.”

Ashe smiled, looking satisfied judging by the dimples forming in his cheeks and the amount of teeth he was showing. So at the sight of that, Felix’s internal investigation (pure curiosity, he couldn’t help it) of what the deal with Ashe was reduced to two options: a pampered young man, used to getting what he wanted, or a thief with serious confidence issues.

If it was the latter, it was the first time Felix had heard of a thief needing the assistance of a mercenary, or that parted with their money so easily. Fine then, if he’d have to wait, he’d make the most of it. Without any sign that he was interested in partaking in any sort of conversation, Felix ordered himself some ale, and another for his generous patron.

They drank in complete silence, though Felix could feel Ashe’s eyes on him the entire time. He didn’t know what to make of that.

* * *

  
It was an awfully old mansion, well known around Fhirdiad slums as the kind of place one didn’t approach unless willing to be chased away by the personal guard of some angry noble. Felix hadn’t gotten near it before, always watching it loom at the edge of the district, a first line of separation between those wealthy and those not so fortunate. And despite its age, it had been well maintained and was an imposing behemoth to look at.

Whoever had decided on darkwood, though, was either a horrible person or had no taste, because the otherwise stunning architecture looked like a lump of coal in the middle of the night. It was also somewhat foreboding, though Felix didn’t voice that thought. He shivered from the cold, waiting for Ashe to hurry up and lockpick the door already while he stood guard by a pillar. Stand guard for what, exactly. Only idiots would be out and about and that hour, and both him and Ashe were idiots.

He was the bigger one for doing something so mind-numbing and dull.  _ Free money _ , he reminded himself. Enough to last him the entire month and maybe more. Way worth wasting a couple hours in some abandoned house with a pretty man of suspicious intentions, like all pretty men had varying degrees of in Felix’s experience.

Ashe’s were simply of the breaking and entering kind.

The lock gave in with a satisfying click, and Ashe was the first to step in, his hands still completely steady unlike anything else about him, except perhaps for the smile. A veteran thief by all means, one with a bad choice for targets. Felix closed the door behind them and coughed out the dust that had rushed to his lungs with the first breath. He pulled a scarf over his mouth in an attempt to breathe more normally. Whatever Ashe was expecting to find in this spider infested hole it couldn’t be that valuable.

After all, the late owner of the place had died at the start of the year in ‘mysterious circumstances’, words that had been repeated so often by criers the week of the event that Felix never wanted to see or read them again regardless of context. There was nothing mysterious about dying. Man had been stabbed, and his possessions sent to grandchildren and other relatives around the kingdom.

If anything was left, it was all the unwanted crap and broken down furniture from months of not being cleaned. And the spiders. Felix had spotted at least ten big webs in the minute it took them to go in and for Ashe to slowly lead him around the staircase to what must’ve been the leisure room in its glory days. A large antique bookcase with broken shelves and slightly open drawers occupied an entire wall of the room; Felix remained by the door as Ashe headed straight for it.

It didn’t take long for trinkets to start flying behind the thief, thrown or discarded behind him without care. Felix had judged him more careful and delicate, but he was having second thoughts on it; there was nothing  _ savage  _ about the gestures, more on the unkempt side. A discarded brooch flew all the way across the room and into Felix’s head. Lovely.

“Be more careful, will you.”

“Did I hit you?” Ashe turned his head around as if he could assess whether Felix’s was bleeding or not from there. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly, and sounded sincere enough for Felix to forgive him. Then he did that infuriatingly sweet smile again. 

Felix took his eyes off it, and decided to focus on a spiderweb in the top left corner instead. “Whatever. I heavily doubt you will find anything here.”

“And I am most certain I will.” Ashe moved to another drawer, leaving the empty one he’dinvestigated on the floor. “Call it intuition.”

“A thief’s intuition?” Felix lost interest in the spider web once he got no action from it. He wasn’t doing a good job as a guard, back to the main entrance, though he had his hand on his sword out of habit. The atmosphere of the mansion was more unnerving inside, and if all the dust gathered up to form some sort of haunted dust demon, Felix would think it pretty normal. At least it would be something to spice up the night.

“I’m not a thief.” Ashe retaliated, and he finally sounded somewhat bothered by what Felix had said. He held the record for longest lasting, and it left Felix more curious about him. He didn’t exactly get along with people, and people didn’t like him. Ashe didn’t even look upset or even annoyed, only  _ pouty _ . And he was pouting, good heavens, to the point where Felix was convinced it was an intentional strategy.

“You broke into a house. You’re turning it upside down looking for whatever. Sounds like stealing to me.” Felix emphasized his arguments by pointing his finger at both of Ashe’s crimes, like they weren’t obvious. That got a chuckle out of Ashe, who in the meantime had reached the last drawer. 

“If that makes me a thief, then you are a thief too.” Ashe shrugged. 

“What.”

“You heard me. You’re my accomplice. So if a man of the law walked in on us right now, are we thieves or not? Or will you say —” Ashe deepened his voice as low as he could. “Forgive me, lord knight, for I only happened into this house that was being robbed and got distracted staring at the guilty man. I have nothing to do with this robbery.”

The sheer ridiculousness of that scenario had Felix burst into laughter. It only lasted a couple seconds, dry and bothersome as he found his chortle, but he hadn’t expected it. It was clear to him that Ashe was an ‘overflowing with friendship’ kind of person, someone who tried to find good terms even with the more difficult people.

Well Felix hadn’t given in to his charms yet, though there was something nice in Ashe’s attitude leaving no hint of being forced norfor appearances. A good natured fool at heart, who’d die young saving some maiden, or stealing in the wrong house. Well paid, well fed, Felix could afford to let loose just enough for some banter. 

He’d heard it was healthy.

“Pray tell me then, Ashe the Not Thief, what we are doing here.”

Ashe got up from where he was. He looked unsatisfied with his search, and joined Felix in the doorway, the pondering expression on his face making him look thrice his age in wisdom for a moment. “We are investigating.”

Felix raised an eyebrow. “Investigating what?”

“Lord Lonato’s death.” Ashe’s voice carried many things in three simple words. Resentment, sadness, a hint of anger restrained by self control. If Felix knew something, it was when not to pry, and that a bodyguard was needed didn’t strike him as odd anymore. Whatever the relationship of his client with the dead lord of this mansion was, there was a strong sentiment behind it.

Felix could, in no smart part, relate to the guilt of the loss of a loved one. 

The atmosphere didn’t have time to grow awkward as Ashe made his way to the top of the stairs with the ease of someone who knew this house like the back of his hand. Felix had been unjust to Ashe, part of his mind judging the young man as a naive idiot; still a fool, be it one with a motive. He wondered briefly if behind that apparent innocence Ashe could hold his own in a fight.He’d ask for one when not on duty. 

Upstairs, most of the doors weren't locked, but they were stuck. Ashe looked at him and they weren’t puppy eyes, but with that face they might as well have been. Felix kicked the three nearby doors down one after the other, though they did  _ resist _ . His muscles would definitely feel that in the morning.

Ashe walked ahead into what Felix could only assume used to be the late lord’s bedroom, buried now under layers of dust and cobwebs like every other corner. The novelty of exploring the house was gone, but they weren’t here on a tourist visit. Murders happened a lot, people forgot about them quickly, but there was Ashe trying to unearth the reason behind that ‘mysterious death’. 

To what avail? What would it bring him? The dead were dead. It reminded Felix of an old friend who’d lost his mind for more of the same reasons. He clicked his tongue, annoyed. It was none of his business why and how this chipper thief turned murder investigator decided to ruin the rest of his life. His curiosity was a true demon.

He didn’t like being in the dark about things that had already piqued his curiosity. Felix started tapping his foot to give himself something to do. 

“If you want to ask, go ahead. I don’t mind.” Ashe had checked a couple night tables, and was struggling to push a heavy mattress off the bed. Felix thought it was entertaining so he didn’t move to help him just yet. “After all,” he puffed some air and managed to budge it an inch, “I have nothing to hide. Don’t mind the whole... ‘sneaking in here’ thing.”

“Too late, I’m already judging you because of it.” Felix relaxed his shoulders. “And you looked like you were scared of something, back at the inn.”

“The cult.”

Felix deadpanned as the mattress finally fell to the ground, revealing some trapdoor in the bed frame. They should’ve started by looking there, but the trapdoor was not that impressive when Ashe was casually mentioning  _ cults  _ out of the blue.

“Hold up a second. That’s a ridiculous claim if I’ve ever heard one. There’s no cults in Fhirdiad.” And while he also wanted to say it didn’t add up with what they were doing he had to admit that, in some twisted way, it was. An unsolved murder, a cult, a mercenary around to fight off said cult were they to show up uninvited because they decided to throw their founding anniversary at the spot of an iconic killing in their history…

He shook the spiral of thoughts away. Ashe was back to smiling at him, but there was a sadness to it Felix wished wasn’t there; in only a few hours, he’d gotten used to the warmth of Ashe’s smile as if it’d been there for far longer. 

Okay, so, he was falling for Ashe’s trap of comradery, but it wasn’t too late.

“That’s the point of a cult, Felix, that you don’t know they’re there. But Lonato knew. He found out from a servant that had gotten unwillingly wrapped up in their business.” Ashe was sitting on the floor as he said that, picking yet another lock open with too much ease. “Lord Lonato was a good man, you know? He built his mansion here to be able to supervise the slums, to help out.”

“Sounds like self-gratifying buffoonery to me.” Felix said. Lords didn’t help people, only themselves. He’d known one too closely.

“I don’t blame you for thinking that. But I truly want to believe in the goodness of his heart. He gave the servant a lot of money and sent them away from the kingdom in the guise of the night, in the sake of making sure they’d be safe. Shortly after, Lonato took it upon himself to investigate this cult. He always told me he had good reasons to believe the recent increase in sickness has something to do with them.”

“And you think he was right. Thus they silenced him.” Felix got closer and peered over Ashe’s shoulder to look inside the secret compartment. There wasn’t much in it, a stack of bound in leather scrolls and a sealed letter. Ashe’s hands scrambled for the letter first. Felix noted they were shaking, not the steady hands they were until then, and upon looking closer he didn’t see the softness of a noble pampered boy but the calluses of a young man that, at some point in his life, had struggled to stay alive.

The seal on the letter came off with ease after spending the year slowly rotting away in the unconventional hideout. Ashe took a deep breath and didn’t ask Felix for privacy, so the mercenary got a good full view of the contents of the letter.

_ To my dearest Ashe, _

_ It pains me that you have to read this letter, and having to write it for you. Soon, the Slither, as I have decided to call them, will come for me. I have tightened the guard, prepared as much as possible not to forfeit my life and abandon you to the world, but my chances are slim. I apologize for never giving you the proper goodbye you deserve, so I will try my best to do so in this letter. _

_ Thank you for being a kind son to me, even if you are not of my flesh and blood. For staying in my old man years when others left. I do not regret sending you away for studies, for I would keep you safe over myself every day. I hope you have become the upstanding knight you always strived to be. _

_ All I ask of you is that you do not go after the Slither, do not seek to avenge me. But if against my wishes you decide to do so, I have left you all the information I gathered over the months. Are you not to use it, please burn it. Bury your anger, my son. The world is something you can make into a brighter place. I believe in you. _

_ Your loving father, Lonato. _

Felix finished reading the letter. He expected something longer or more flowery, but this Lonato seemed to have been a man that went to the point. Perhaps he didn’t want to give Ashe more reasons to mourn —though a sensible person would’ve avoided getting killed to begin with. Felix kept that comment to himself and took his hand off Ashe’s shoulder to look at him.

To his surprise Ashe’s expression had not lost any of its determination. He looked awfully sad, though there was a renewed fire in his eyes, and that was evidence enough that Ashe planned to do exactly what he was asked not to. A fool, a wide-eyed, rosy-cheeked fool; their investigation ended there, and so did Felix’s involvement. He stood up with a sigh.

“I’ll walk you back to the inn. Part of the service. Get your ass up.”

The scrolls disappeared into Ashe’s coat. His smile was gone, lips pursed into a frown not so different from Felix’s own, hands back to being steady yet something about the way he closed them into fists was giving away more than words. 

Felix spoke body language better than the verbal kind. Ashe wouldn’t allow to get dragged anywhere and simply follow after his mercenary on autopilot. As long as they made it to their destination, Felix didn’t care. He still grabbed Ashe by the wrist to make sure he didn’t get lost or stopped functioning halfway there, and they went back downstairs. 

The sooner Felix was out of that dust the better. The sooner he was far away from the emotional charge of the evening and enjoyed his two gold coins in a nice room with an old friend or two, the  _ better _ . Even with those thoughts, he didn’t let go of Ashe on the dark streets —he constantly saw the darkness reaching out its tendrils to drag the young man into its depth, and for Felix to live with the guilt for the rest of his life.

He didn’t want anything to do with it. He wasn’t a knight, a martyr, to risk his life for someone else, and he hated those that were like that. They were fools, naive fools, and Ashe was a giant fool and Felix was about to be one too. Dammit.

“Fuck’s sake.” He mouthed out loud enough to be heard at the end of the street, probably. He had a thought. A bad, horrible,  _ the worst _ thought that was taking shape in the corners of his mind and Felix wondered if it was Ashe’s smile, or dimples, or eyes, or the book-like ridiculousness of his predicament that had made Felix go  _ fuck it _ and accept he’d have to hate himself.

They reached the inn. Ashe’s room was upstairs, a decently priced one in the middle, and all Felix had to do was say goodnight and walk away. But the thought was stronger than him. He extended his hand to Ashe. “I get paid in advance.”

Ashe’s gaze fixed onto his, cautious yet hopeful. Maybe he was a mind reader. Or just that annoyingly perceptive; Felix kept talking before he had time to feel regret for his decision. “Said in the letter you’re a knight. You have morals and laws and whatnot to abide, no? Well, I don’t. So... for the dirty jobs, in your journey for revenge. A silver coin a day.”

The laughter made Felix’s face warm up all the way to the ears. There were small tears in Ashe’s eyes, and he hurried to wipe them. “How am I supposed to know how long it will take, silly?”

Oh. Right. Now he was embarrassed, but he would let it slide because Ashe was back to his warm smile and for once someone had laughed at Felix and his bullshit instead of scowling or ignoring it. 

“Then you can pay me at the end. Who cares. I’m making big coin, regardless.” Felix said, huffing out every word like he needed it out of his system together with the dust from earlier.

“Felix…” Ashe stepped to the side. “T-there’s two beds in this room! Please, come in. Ah, where are my manners! I am immensely grateful, truly, there are no words to express how much it means to me and—”

“I got it the first time, Ashe.” And Felix got in, despite having his own room.  _ Free money _ , and his own thoughts had never carried that much sarcasm. Money had become the least of it. Not to mention the ‘mission’ promised to be entertaining. 

Ashe was beaming at him from one of the beds. “You know what, Felix?”

“Depends on what what is.” Felix threw himself on the other bed, boots on and sword on the floor. He was ready to pass out at any moment, and whatever Ashe would say could only end up as white noise against his ears. 

“You remind me of my favorite book protagonist. A valiant, kind knight.”

A flying pillow. Ashe’s giggles being the last thing he heard before falling asleep. 

And if he truly was some valiant, kind knight, then Ashe was to be the trouble-causing sidekick. It was a cliché even Felix, who didn’t read knights’ tales anymore, could get behind. 


End file.
